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Vinnie Iyer
Week 1 was a classic exercise in making NFL picks and predictions against the spread. There were some known variables that helped inform what some teams would do to kick off the 2024 seasons, but games featuring plenty of newness for one or both teams were much more difficult to prognosticate.
With some numbers and results in the books, Week 2 would seem to be a little easier. Of course, the sample size remains small, keeping things on the tricky side. When in doubt, however, lean on the side of the 0-1 teams — the ones more desperate and motivated to win and avoid 0-2.
The opening slate ended up being easier early and tougher late. What might Week 2 bring both straight up and against the spread? Here’s diving right into the latest full slate of picks:
MORE: Week 2 NFL betting odds, point spreads, and over/unders
(Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook)
Thursday 8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video
The Bills saw Josh Allen take over with his big arm and strong legs after digging a hole in the opener. The Dolphins also rallied well with Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill. Buffalo is putting more on Allen with transitional weapons and a more vulnerable defense, and he will keep responding by spreading the ball around well and getting set up by the run. The Dolphins’ defense gave up some big plays last week and can be had on intermediate passing. Allen is better in that area than Tagovailoa, leading to the mild road upset.
Pick: Bills win 31-27.
Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
Joe Burrow has become a notoriously slow starter, right along with his offensive-minded head coach Zac Taylor. The Patriots game was an absolute mess, where the distractions over top wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, with the latter missing the game, threw off the Bengals QB at home. But he likes seeing Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, against whom he’s 3-1. The Chiefs, however, can cause more all-around problems up front, and Mahomes will be motivated to edge Burrow late at home.
Pick: Chiefs win 27-23 but fail to cover the spread.
MORE: NFL Week 1 overreactions | NFL Week 2 Power Rankings
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS
“Harbaugh football” didn't waste any time arriving in L.A. The Chargers rushed for 176 yards, forced three turnovers, and racked up four sacks in thrashing the Raiders in Week 1. The Panthers were gashed on the ground for 180 yards in New Orleans, giving away the ball three times and giving up four sacks, too. The Chargers are the type of team that feels at home away, and nothing needs to give here.
Pick: Chargers win 31-13 and cover the spread.
WEEK 2 FANTASY RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox
Kyler Murray looked rather sharp starting the season healthy, but he needs to get rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. going to maximize a diverse passing game. The Rams will struggle with intermediate and downfield coverage against Murray’s receivers. They also won’t have the matching firepower with last year’s top rookie wideout Puka Nacua out because of a knee injury. The Cardinals get on the board with enough offense to make up for continued porous defense under Jonathan Gannon.
Pick: Cardinals win 30-27.
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Raiders got destroyed by the Chargers' rushing attack, and they now face a more dangerous one against Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. The Ravens had a mini-bye to rest up and rev up their defense to rebound vs. a hot and cold Gardner Minshew and an inconsistent running game. Baltimore flexes a bit, leaving Las Vegas in further freefall.
Pick: Ravens win 26-14 and cover the spread.
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox
Derek Carr lit up the Panthers, but he will see a massive increase in defensive degree of difficulty in Dallas. Dak Prescott will try to get the offense going better in the red zone vs. another tricky defense, but he and the Cowboys are a completely different (and dominant) team at home. Carr takes plenty of dents while Dak stays clean to get to 2-0.
Pick: Cowboys win 30-17 and cover the spread.
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The Buccaneers flew out of the gate with Baker Mayfield and their passing game, and they now draw a rematch of last season’s playoff loss in Detroit. The Bucs still have new defensive holes that be exploited better by Jared Goff with plenty of help from the Lions' dominant rushing attack. Mayfield will have a few snags as the Lions take away the run and put in him uncomfortable, one-dimensional situations as he tries to play catch-up.
Pick: Lions win 31-24 and cover the spread.
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The Packers are looking at Malik Willis drawing the start with Jordan Love needing some time to return from his knee injury. That throws some cold water over their home opener in the not-yet-frozen tundra. That also gives the Colts a decided offensive advantage, as Shane Steichen will channel much of what Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley did well against Green Bay in Week 1, only with Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor playing those roles for Indianapolis.
Pick: Colts win 24-20 and cover the spread.
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Browns looked sloppy with former Clemson QB Deshaun Watson vs. Dallas, while the Jaguars flashed before fading with former Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence vs. Miami. This can be another ugly game with two inconsistent passing games and two running games facing strong fronts. The edge goes to Lawrence, who has more reliable help with his weapons overall.
Pick: Jaguars win 20-17 but fail to cover the spread.
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The 49ers lost in Minnesota 22-17 last October in one of their few blemishes on their way to the top NFC playoff seed and Super Bowl run. Brian Flores’ pass rush will present some pressure problems for Brock Purdy, who must protect the ball and lean a lot on Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel instead of aggressively testing the Vikings’ corners downfield. On the other side, Purdy’s former backup Sam Darnold will keep trusting his new brand of dynamic playmakers to keep his team in the game.
Pick: 49ers win 24-20 but fail to cover the spread.
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The Seahawks are 1-0 with defensive-minded rookie coach Mike Macdonald. The Patriots are 1-0 with defensive-minded rookie coach Jerod Mayo. One team also exploded offensively in Week 1. Seattle looked better with Geno Smith at QB and had a big-time running game again with Kenneth Walker III. The Patriots have too many limitations around Jacoby Brissett to keep up on the scoreboard.
Pick: Seahawks win 23-20 but fail to cover the spread.
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Jets are coming off a short week and will need to grind out a tricky road game against a much-improved defense under Dennard Wilson that didn’t give up an offensive TD last week. The reprieve will be facing a struggling Will Levis early in Year 2. The Titans will have a tough time helping him consistently answer what Aaron Rodgers does while leaning more on the run.
Pick: Jets win 20-17 but fail to cover the spread.
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The Giants” offense is going into the tank because of a sputtering Daniel Jones and no more dynamic running game. They have some good pieces defensively, but it was still shredded at times by Darnold’s Vikings. The Commanders got going with their offense a little too late to win in Tampa. This time, Jayden Daniels will go wire-to-wire with plenty of fun highlights, with more of the same awesome running now coupled with more aggressive downfield passing.
Pick: Commanders win 27-20 and cover the spread.
Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
The Steelers may not have Russell Wilson (calf) as a healthy option again, but they should be comfortable with him or Justin Fields starting now. They can win a lot of games by just running often and well, not turning the ball over, and getting a few big timely plays from either side. The Steelers have their relentless physical identity again under Mike Tomlin, and they will impose that, especially defensively, on shaky rookie Bo Nix.
Pick: Steelers win 23-14 and cover the spread.
Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
C.J. Stroud is picking up where he left off as last year’s top rookie QB. Williams is hoping to get into the company in 2024 after going No. 1 overall. He struggled with missing throws and executing overall against the Titans, but Williams should be settled in to make amends and duel Stroud, back in the prime-time spotlight he often enjoyed at USC. There’s just more around Stroud to believe he would come out on top in a back-and-forth affair at home.
Pick: Texans win 24-20 but fail to cover the spread.
Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
The Falcons should play better around Kirk Cousins, but Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will follow the Steelers’ gameplan and throw out more puzzling pressure and coverage looks against him. The Eagles will see plenty of tough stuff vs. Raheem Morris with upgraded key personnel, but they can run and pass their way out of it with Jalen Hurts in a prime-time home opener.
Pick: Eagles win 27-20 and cover the spread.
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Vinnie Iyer has been with The Sporting News since 1999, not long after graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He has produced NFL content for more than 20 years, turning his attention to full-time writing in 2007. Vinnie covers every aspect of the NFL for TSN including draft prospects analysis, gambling and fantasy football. He also represents TSN as host of the “Locked On Fantasy Football” podcast on the Locked On network.
